Heroes Never Die!
by TheBlinkFox
Summary: Her mind drifted back to that day. The fall of the Swiss headquarters. Angela remembered what she had tried to do, and she knew Reyes would be after her with a vengeance. She had to disappear. Quit the job she loved. Anguish tore at her, but she resigned herself to practicality. Reyes was lethal. The safest place for her was with her friends, but would that be enough?
1. Chapter 1

It was dark when Angela woke. No light shone between the open curtains, and the air held a chill that made Angela shiver. Her phone was still in her hand, as it had been when she'd fallen asleep last night.

Blearily, she opened her eyes and checked her phone. It was four-thirty A.M., and she had three messages from Genji:

 _Genji: Perhaps, but dogs still provide better company. A dog will lift your mood after long day better than a cat ever could._

 _Genji: Haha I guess you're asleep now. My work here is done!_

 _Genji: Sleep well, Angela 3_

Angela smiled and closed her eyes for a moment. She tried to remember the old days. When everyone was still alive and together. When everything was peaceful. When a friendly face was only a corridor away. Now everything was so…cold. And her bed was too big for just one person.

She unlocked her phone and sent a reply:

 _Angela: Thanks to you I did :) 3 And maybe you just think that because you behave like a dog yourself :P_

 _Angela: Oh, and I hope you're remembering to run regular diagnostics on yourself. Just because I'm not there, doesn't mean you get off that easy!_

Angela pictured his reaction to that. It put a smirk on her face. With a sigh, she threw off her blankets and went to the kitchen. The kitchen and living area lay in one room, and her bedroom and bathroom were on the side as separate rooms. Her apartment was large, considering it lay near the centre of Bern, Switzerland. She had been paid well as an Overwatch agent, and was being paid well now by the Inselspital - the University Hospital of Bern.

As she poured herself some cereal she said, "TV on." The TV blinked on, showing the morning news. She plopped herself onto the couch and began to munch.

The news was cheerful as always. Yet another omnic factory - this one in Russia - had 'gone rogue'. There had been several attacks on remote towns by omnics that had resulted in hundreds of deaths and injuries. The chairman of Volskaya Industries was promising a revolution in anti-Omnic security, with all new Svyatogor mechs ready to sell to the Russian military to counter the rising attacks.

Angela snorted. Because _of course_ the solution to complex relations between humans and omnics was to make a _bigger gun_. But what else could be done?

Also on the headlines was the assassination of Tekhartha Mondatta, the head of the Shambali order. He had been giving a speech last night in London when he had been shot in the head by an unknown sniper.

An omnic dressed in the robes of a monk flashed on the screen, gesturing grandly. _"Before me I see the future, humans and omnics standing together, united by compassion, by common hopes and dreams."_

This had apparently sparked omnic peace rallies around the world, some of which were met with violence and even more casualties - both human and omnic.

Angela's heart sank. She had never been one for religion, but Mondatta had been a force for good in the world. And now he was dead, right when the world needed him most. Sounded like par for the course. She didn't know why she still kept up with the news. "TV off," she said, and she crunched away on her cereal in silence.

She thought she would have been used to that silence now, but it still echoed in her ears so loudly. Angela ached for a voice that would understand - that _could_ understand - her and everything she had lived through. Picking up her phone, she opened up her contacts.

Her thumb hovered over the names. Genji? No, he had enough to deal with. She didn't want to burden him with everything. But the others…her throat became choked up at the thought of them. It had been so long. While she longed to see them again, she was also afraid of what that would bring. Still, to see everyone from Overwatch back together again…it was her sweetest daydream.

It was time to go to work. She left her empty bowl in the sink, went back to her bedroom, and opened the wardrobe. In it were all her clothes, but her eyes lingered on a small latch on the wardrobe's back wall. Normally it was dark, but now it waxed and waned with radiant amber light. A message. Via secure Overwatch channels. Her mouth hung open, dumbstruck. There hadn't been one for years. Then, shaking her head clear of thoughts, she got dressed, packed her backpack, and left the building. Those days were over. Why check that message? Why torture herself?

Angela pulled her coat around her as she walked down the dark and empty main road. The occasional car zoomed by, but the streets were otherwise lifeless and cold. Her breath came out as mist at this temperature. It was something Angela had always loved as a child. She would breathe that mist out like it was a special power. Fate always did have a sense of irony.

Angela was brought out of her reverie by the sound of raised voices and a scuffle in an alleyway up ahead. She jogged up to the alley and peeked around the corner.

There were two men and an omnic. The men were pushing the omnic against the wall of the alley.

"Come on, you're just an object. A _thing_ ," spat the taller of the two men.

The omnic had his hands raised pleadingly. "Please, what did I ever do to you?"

The shorter man shoved the omnic roughly against the wall. "You robots are murdering people. You gotta pay!"

"That's not me!" replied the omnic. "I didn't even _do_ anything!"

The taller man snorted. "All omnics are the same." He struck the omnic's head with his elbow in a sudden, sharp movement.

The omnic made a gasping sound as he stumbled from the blow. "Stop! Please!"

Angela's guts twisted at what she was seeing. Why would these guys do this? They were probably just afraid and ignorant, but what they were doing was _wrong_. Omnics were so advanced that they had _souls_ , they were _alive_.

These men had no right to do this.

Steeling herself, she stepped around the corner. "Stop!" she declared.

The two men and the omnic froze and looked at her. Her stomach fluttered. It had been so long since she had played hero. Was she still able to do this?

"Violence is _not_ the answer!" she said.

The taller man looked incredulous. "What, you're defending the _omnic_? Who's side are you on?"

"I'm on his side, yes. I'm on yours too. There's no need to be fighting."

The shorter man stepped forward. He was about the same height as Angela, so it was much easier to stare him straight in the eye as he approached. "You should get going," he said.

Angela crossed her arms. "Or what?"

The shorter man grabbed her collar and raised a fist. Angela immediately grabbed his hand and twisted it off her. There was a crack. The man yelped.

Backing away, Angela glanced at the omnic. "Run. Go!" The omnic scrabbled out from under the taller man and dashed into the street.

"May you be one with the iris, ma'am! Please be safe!" he said as he ran.

"If they don't go unpunished, the attacks will never stop," the taller man said.

The shorter man glanced at him. "She's a _sympathiser_. She's one of _them_. I think she needs to be punished too."

Angela took a deep breath and focused. It had been years, but it seemed her muscles still remembered _some_ of her training.

The taller man shrugged. "It's what you deserve." Then he lunged at Angela, trying to tackle her.

Angela threw herself to the alley wall to avoid him. He narrowly passed her.

Simultaneously, the shorter man threw another punch to her face. She raised her hands to block, but was too slow. His fist struck her high in the cheek, thumping her head into the alley wall. She let out a grunt of pain. Panic flared in her chest. Maybe she had been a bit rash.

Angela stumbled back, head reeling. She belatedly set herself into a fighting stance, arms up and on the balls of her feet. Blood trickled from the graze where the shorter man had struck her. She wiped away the blood with her hand.

The shorter man leered at her. "Oh, you think you can fight?"

Angela merely smirked. The bloody graze on her face slowly began to heal itself. Skin sealed back together, and within moments, her face was once again unblemished.

The two men paled. The shorter man took a step back.

"What…the hell are you?" the taller man said.

"A good Samaritan," replied Angela. Her heartbeat thudded in her ears. Hopefully that healing done by her blood-borne biotic nanobots would spook them.

The two men looked at each other. Angela seized the opportunity. Before the men could react, she turned around and sprinted out of the alley. Her lungs burned after a half a minute, but she didn't stop running until the hospital was in sight.

Angela strode into the emergency department as if nothing had happened, and went about her day as normal. She was the emergency department consultant on the floor today, and the patients she saw were the same as always. Hungover drunks. Motor vehicle accident traumas. Broken bones. Burns. Patients with reflux who thought they were having heart attacks.

But none of that brought her down. Her work energised her. Helping people in times of need was one of the greatest things in her life. However, when evening came and it was time to go home, the emptiness returned. It followed her all the way home through streets full of life.

Her apartment was silent that night as she ate her dinner alone. No TV this time. No more depressing news.

And when she got ready for bed that night, when she opened her wardrobe to put her day clothes away, she hesitated. Her eyes focused on the latch that waxed and waned with radiant amber light. A message, from an Overwatch agent. A past that was never coming back, blinking right before her eyes. Her life was so empty. There was no point going back, but what would she lose that she hadn't lost already?

Angela grabbed the latch, and opened the compartment hidden at the back of her wardrobe. In it was her Valkyrie flight suit, Caduceus staff, Caduceus blaster, and her Overwatch agent's communicator. The suit and gadgets of former Overwatch agent Dr Angela Ziegler - codename, _Mercy_. The communicator blinked with the same amber light. Angela opened the message.

A holographic image of Winston sprung from the communicator. Winston was a gorilla, and the subject of a science experiment that had granted him intelligence greater than that of almost every human Angela had met. He sat in a dark room, lit only by the cold glow of a monitor that reflected off rectangular, black-rimmed glasses. Angela spied a few empty jars of peanut butter behind him, and a fond smile spread absently on her face. He held sheets of paper in front of him - presumably a script. He sighed and began to speak in a deep, gravelly voice.

"Thirty years ago, the omnics declared war. The nations of the world had no answer, until they called upon a small group of heroes. Overwatch was created to rescue humanity from the Omnic Crisis. We became the greatest champions of peace and progress mankind has ever seen! _You_ were chosen because you had _powers_ and _abilities_ that made you…you _joined_ because you…"

Winston let out a defeated sigh and put down his papers. "You already know this." After a moment of downcast silence, he continued.

"Look…the people decided they were better off without us. They even called us criminals! They tore our family apart. But look around! Someone has to do something! _We_ have to do something! We can make a _difference_ again. The world needs us _now_ more than _ever_!"

Winston took off his glasses. "Are you with me?"

Then the message cut off.

Angela was stunned. She didn't breath, didn't move. A wild swirl of emotions coursed through her. Excitement. Trepidation. Relief. Uncertainty. It had been so good to see Winston and hear his voice again. But what should she do?

Angela's communicator blinked again. There was a .txt file attached. She opened it. It read:

 _P.S: I'm sure you all remember Gabriel Reyes. Former head of Overwatch's covert ops. The one who led the rebellion against Jack Morrison's leadership and was presumed dead after the destruction of the Swiss headquarters._

 _Well, he's back, and he's got a bone to pick with all of us. He recently broke into the Overwatch database and tried to steal the locations of all Overwatch agents. Athena and I stopped him, but some agents were still compromised. I've listed those agents below._

 _I strongly advise those agents to relocate to a safe place if you can't return to Gibraltar headquarters. I suspect Reyes will come for you first._

 _Best of luck, and I hope to see you soon._

 _Warmest regards,_

 _Winston._

Angela scanned the list. Her heart dropped. Her name was on the list. This was not good. She wasn't safe here. She remembered Gabriel Reyes. He and Jack had been fast friends, and Angela had always admired his determination and grit. He always managed to get the job done, even when things seemed impossible.

Her mind drifted back to _that_ day. The fall of the Swiss headquarters. Angela remembered what she had tried to do, and she knew Reyes would be after her with a vengeance. She had to disappear. Quit the job she loved. Anguish tore at her, but she resigned herself to practicality. Reyes was lethal. The safest place for her was Gibraltar, with Winston.

But then her eyes scanned further down the list, and found another name.

 _Genji Shimada_.

Her heart stopped. Her chest tightened.

 _No._ Please no.


	2. Chapter 2

Genji stood in New York City's Times Square. It was surrounded by towering buildings that showered the square with light and glinted off Genji's sleek grey armour. He wore his mask tonight, the one with a glowing green visor. To all others he seemed a robot - an omnic, like most others in the square that night. And in part, they were right. His extensive bionic prostheses rendered him half-man, half-machine, but belonging to neither. It was better to be treated like an omnic than half-half. So he let them assume.

One of those omnics was his spiritual mentor and Shambali monk, Zenyatta. They were there amidst an omnic peace rally organised in response to the assassination of Tekhartha Mondatta. Whoever had killed him had wanted his message of peace to die with him, but instead they had made him a martyr. All over the world were peace rallies just like this one. His message would not be silenced. Now it was stronger than ever.

Genji and Zenyatta had spent the night so far intermingling between omnics and the humans that had coalesced toward the rally, encouraging dialogue and understanding. Genji didn't have his two swords with him, of course. They were with Jesse - his rival-turned-best-friend from his days in Overwatch - who was at the perimeter of Times Square, alert for trouble.

Genji's Overwatch agent's communicator had been blinking softly with an amber light. An agent had been calling, after so many years. He was curious about _why_ \- but it could wait. Keeping peace at the rally was enough to handle. Some humans were powder kegs ready to burst, and it had taken all of Genji's burgeoning diplomacy to de-escalate those situations.

Then his phone pinged twice. He pulled it from a secret compartment in his armour and checked the messages.

 _Angela: Thanks to you I did :) 3 And maybe you just think that because you behave like a dog yourself :P_

 _Angela: Oh, and I hope you're remembering to run regular diagnostics on yourself. Just because I'm not there, doesn't mean you get off that easy!_

Beneath his mask, Genji smiled.

"Getting distracted, are we?" Zenyatta's voice held an undercurrent of amusement.

Genji hastily put his phone away. "No! No, not all."

Zenyatta laughed. "It is alright. You have been working hard, and it has been a while since you have seen her."

Genji shook his head. "Too long. It would be good to see her again."

"I'm certain you will. I am proud of the progress you have made. There is just one thing…"

Genji waved him off. "Yes, yes, I know. Both you and Angela nag me about it."

"It is the one thing blocking you from using up your dragonblade again. You must face it."

Genji looked Zenyatta in his motionless metal face. "There is no need. I long since abandoned the Shimada clan, and I survived doing so. _That_ is what matters."

"Angela may have healed your body, but only _you_ can heal your spirit. We will discuss this later."

Genji was about to reply when he spied a large man near the edge of Times Square aggressively gesturing at an omnic holding a sign that read, 'Omnic = human! We are one within the Iris!'

"I'm going to go sort that out," Genji said.

Zenyatta inclined his head.

Genji strode towards the human, chin up and shoulders back. Both human and omnic looked at him as he approached.

"What's going on here?" asked Genji.

"This man is- ," the omnic started.

"F*** off," the man said.

Genji held up his hands placatingly. "I can see you're both upset, but we're all civilised here, so let's talk things through."

The man turned on him. "What would _you_ know about 'civilised', _omnic_?" he spat.

Genji almost shot back with 'More than you,' but he caught himself. Instead, he said, "Please, I want to understand. Why are you angry?"

"Because here you all are, clogging up Times Square under the delusion that you're _living_ and you deserve equal rights. But you're not, so you don't. You're machines, and you exist to serve your creators - that's us humans." The man stepped unconsciously close to Genji. "Now f*** off, before I make you."

But Genji had drawn a line. No-one pushed _him_ around. He tilted his head up to stare the man right in the eye. "So make me."

There was a moment right before the man threw his punch when his entire body tensed up in preparation. Genji saw it, and snapped out a punch faster than the man could even see. The man stumbled back, howling in pain, clutching his broken ribs.

The omnic holding the sign cried out, "No! This is a peaceful protest!"

But it was too late. The keg had been lit, and other humans nearby let out a torrent of outrage.

"Did you see that?"

"That omnic just attacked that guy!"

"Peaceful protest my ass!"

The large man, still clutching his ribs, tried to straighten from his hunched posture. "You're all _liars_!" he growled.

Realising the futility of attacking Genji, he instead lunged for the omnic holding the sign. This time Genji snapped out a sharp kick that toppled the man over.

"Oi, leave him alone!"

Genji turned just in time to see another man dash up and try to shove him. He sidestepped easily, and tripped his assailant for good measure.

"Don't just stand there, help me! These robots have got to go!" yelled the second man.

And one by one, humans stepped forward, staring down nearby omnics. The omnics slowly backed away.

Genji silently cursed. This was _not_ how tonight was supposed to go.

"Need some back-up, partner?" said a man behind Genji in a silky southern drawl. Genji turned around.

There stood Jesse McCree, looking like a character from a vintage Wild West movie. His cigar was conspicuously absent from his lips; things were serious then. He proffered Genji's short sword and dragonblade. Genji took them and strapped them to his back.

He turned back to face the crowd, but Jesse placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It was always going to end this way. You did your best," said Jesse.

"Then I'm glad you're always ready for a fight," replied Genji.

Jesse laughed. "You know me too well."

Their attention was diverted when they heard sounds of a scuffle. Nearby, a human was punching an omnic, who struggled to defend his head. Similar scenes began to speckle themselves throughout Times Square. Genji deflated inside. He _had_ tried. What more could he do?

"C'mon, let's break up some of these fights," said Jesse.

Well, he could try _that_. "Good idea."

Genji dashed to the nearest fight, shoving the combatants apart. They both glared at Genji, but promptly calmed down when they saw the swords strapped to his back. Maybe he should've had them the whole time.

In the corner of his eye, he saw Jesse block a punch with his bionic left arm and retaliate with a heavy punch of his own. His assailant fell to the ground, and didn't get back up.

Then a vibrant, resonating omnic voice sounded nearby. It was Zenyatta. He hovered above head level to be seen by everyone in Times Square, and he glowed with heavenly light. Everyone had stopped fighting to gaze at the spectacle. It couldn't have come at a better time.

"Everyone, please! Gaze into the iris, and see that we are all one! We are all _alive_ and _precious_. We should treasure that. Treasure each other!"

As Genji scanned Times Square, he saw everyone, human and omnic, enrapt by Zenyatta's pleas. Everyone had stopped fighting. No one looked angry. Genji didn't know what his mentor was doing - maybe some sort of hypnosis? - but it was working. His stomach did a backflip. By the Iris, it was _working_.

Then a gunshot, like a whip-crack, ripped through the air, and Zenyatta's head splintered into a million shards. He fell to the ground, lifeless.

Genji stared in shock. Time slowed down. Through a haze he heard people cry out. Some with joy, some despair. All of them with surprise. Zenyatta's body fell to the ground in slow motion. Genji's heart thumped in his chest. His breath caught. This couldn't be real. He was numb.

A detached corner of his mind whispered, _Sniper. Look for the sniper_. So he did, and found the glint of a rifle in a high window of a nearby building. His body moved on autopilot, dashing to the building's entrance faster than any normal human. In the distance he heard Jesse telling him to wait. But he didn't.

This building was full of offices, and being long after work hours, was silent, dark, and empty. A security guard belatedly woke and also demanded that Genji stop. But he didn't. He dashed through the elegant lobby and barged with his shoulder through the door to the stairwell. Genji's heart burned. It spat venom. He had to catch that sniper. Strangle them. Wring them of all the wretched life they possessed.

As his body ran, his mind absently pieced together which floor the sniper had been on. High up. On the 37th floor. By the 14th floor, Genji's breathing became laboured and sweat broke out on his brow, but his body kept going. By the 29th, he was heaving and panting. But he didn't stop. If he stopped now, the sniper would get away. He wouldn't allow that. _Couldn't_ allow that. That sniper had to _die_.

Genji saw the sign 'Floor 37' above an exit door, and burst out of the stairwell. The floor was shadowed, backlit dimly by the lights of the city outside. There were rows upon rows of office cubicles, each with a computer and stacks of paper. Along the windows on the opposite side of the floor, Genji spotted a silhouette - a woman with a back-length ponytail and a scoped rifle in hand. The sniper.

But before he could do anything he heard a snap-hiss, and was billowed with poisonous purple gas. He strode through it like it was mist in the morning, but the sniper immediately whirled around and fired.

Genji dove to the ground and rolled, expecting another sniper shot, but the sniper's rifle fired like a submachine gun. He was forced to snap back to his feet. Dashing forwards, he zig-zagged to keep her bullets off him. He flipped three shuriken from a secret compartment in his armour and flung them at her. The sniper ducked them, then shot out a grappling hook to the building opposite. By the time Genji reached her, she was far out of his reach. Twirling mid-air, she shattered the opposite building's window and landed with cat-like grace.

Genji glimpsed a smirk on her face before she brought her scoped rifle to her shoulder. Belatedly, he realised; she was lining up the shot. He dove to the ground. Too late.

Her shot lanced through the flesh of his left shoulder. Genji was instantly thrown back in time. Instead of the sniper he saw his brother, bow in hand. Instead of one sniper round, he felt arrow after arrow punching the life out of him.

Genji landed on the floor hard. A crushing weight pressed on his chest. He tried desperately to draw air, but he couldn't. Tears streamed down his face as sheer panic engulfed him. It felt like he was dying again. He grabbed onto a nearby desk, trying to stabilise himself. As he rose, dizziness struck him and he collapsed to the floor again.

Two more sniper rounds blasted some computers and made wood splinters and shreds of paper explode through the air. Genji lay there shielding his head, simply hoping he would survive.

Then he heard footsteps in the stairwell. The door burst open. Another sniper shot went off, and Jesse threw himself to the floor. Genji lost sight of him. He popped up again a few metres to left and unleashed a volley of shots, emptying his large revolver at the sniper.

With all the strength he could muster, Genji grabbed onto a desk and peered over it out the windows. The sniper was gone.

Jesse ran to Genji and pulled him to his feet. "You all good?"

Still breathing heavily, Genji nodded. "Thanks to you. Let's get out of here."

* * *

 **A/N: If you have any thoughts on the story so far, please leave a review - I'd love to know what you think!  
**


	3. Chapter 3

Angela sat on her bed hunched over her phone. The only light in the room came from her phone. It lit her face with its gaze, and gave the room a cold, eerie atmosphere. She scrolled through her conversation with Genji again.

 _\- 4:30am -_

 _Angela: Thanks to you I did :) 3 And maybe you just think that because you behave like a dog yourself :P_

 _Angela: Oh, and I hope you're remembering to run regular diagnostics on yourself. Just because I'm not there, doesn't mean you get off that easy!_

 _\- 6:54pm -_

 _Angela: Genji, have you checked your Overwatch communicator? Your location has been compromised, you need to go to Watchpoint Gibraltar RIGHT NOW. Please reply as soon as you get this. I love you 3_

 _\- 7:17pm -_

 _Angela: Genji, please reply. Are you safe? Are you still with Jesse and Zenyatta? Where are you? What's happening? Please let me know ASAP 3_

 _\- 7:25pm -_

 _Angela: I'm worried about you. Just tell me you're alright. Be safe 3_

It was 7:30pm now, and still no reply. That wasn't even considering the 6 missed calls he'd have by now. Clearly, Genji had no access to his phone, no battery, or no signal. She refused to consider any other options. But she had to be sure. She picked up her Overwatch communicator, navigated to Genji's contact, and dialled.

One moment passed. Angela heard the clock ticking loudly from the kitchen. It echoed through the apartment and reverberated in her ears.

Another moment. A car drove by on the street below. And another one. Then another.

Come on, Genji. Pick _up_.

The beeping of her communicator as it tried to reach Genji's remained. Reluctantly, Angela hung up the call, face pale.

Alright, she had a problem: she didn't know where Genji was, and she didn't know if he was safe. Therefore, the plan: contact Winston and get his last known location; contact Lena and get a lift to that location.

Suddenly, her phone's ringtone cut through the air. She jumped, then picked up the phone. It was Kurt, one of her registrars in the emergency department.

"Hello?" she said.

 _"Hi, Angela. Sorry to interrupt your dinner, but I have a 58-year-old ex-soldier here asking for your address. He has no medical complaints. His name is Gabriel Reyes; do you know him?"_

Angela opened her mouth to answer, but a harsh, gravelly voice on the phone interrupted. Kurt yelped in surprise.

 _"Doctor Weber, please. Doctor Ziegler is an old friend of mine. She told me she'd moved to Bern, but forgot to give me an address. Won't you help me?"_

Angela froze. Reyes. He was _here_.

 _"I'm sorry, Mr Reyes, but I can't give you that information. But is there anything_ medical _I can help you with?"_ said Kurt.

 _"Come on,"_ said Reyes pleadingly, _"I just want to say hi to an old friend. You wouldn't deny me that, would you?"_

Angela wanted to yell at Kurt: run. Get out of there. You aren't safe. But his phone was picking up Reyes' voice. There was a strong chance he would hear her voice too if she spoke. So she listened, with mounting horror.

 _"I gather you must've been close to her, but I am not lallowed to give you that information. I'm sorry,"_ said Kurt.

"GET OUT OF THERE, KURT!" Angela shouted.

 _"What- "_ Kurt was cut off by the sound of a blasting shotgun, followed by the terrified screams of staff and patients alike. She heard the sickening thump of a body hitting the floor, and felt a lump form in her throat.

 _"I know you're listening, Mercy, and I how to find you. And when I do, I'm going to make you pay for every_ second _of suffering I have endured because of what you did to me!"_ Reyes spat.

Then the call went dead.

Angela's vision narrowed. The reality of the situation pressed on her mind. She didn't panic, but she was acutely aware of the stakes. There was no time for any of it. Any slip up could mean her death.

With cool detachment, she changed into her Valkyrie flight suit; and a small part of her mind ached with nostalgia as she strapped her Caduceus blaster to her thigh. It was just like getting ready for a mission. Except this time, there was no Overwatch. No back-up. No Commander Morrison with a daring plan up his sleeve.

Using her Valkyrie flight suit's communicator, Angela called a friend of hers in London. Lena Oxton. Codename, _Tracer_. Lena answered almost immediately.

 _"Hiya, love. Long time, no see!"_ chirped Lena in her cockney accent.

Angela smiled. "Hey, Lena. It's so good to hear your voice."

 _"Is everything alright?"_

"My name is on Winston's list. And so is Genji's. Reyes is in Bern _right now_ , and I need a lift."

 _"…Oh. Not a problem, love! I was already on my way. We'll get you to Gibraltar in no time!"_

"No, no. We're going to find Genji first."

Lena snorted. _"And I still remember when you refused to give him a chance."_

"With his reputation with the ladies, could you blame me?"

 _"No, I guess not."_ Lena would be smiling right about now.

"I need you to meet me mid-air above Troyes."

 _"Gotcha, love. You better get out of there."_

"Already on it."

The call clicked as Lena hung up.

It was time to leave. Angela surveyed the apartment that had been her home with an odd pang in her chest. Those windows. That painting. That door that creaked too much. Her desk, blighted with a dark coffee stain. Angela sighed. She was too sentimental.

She walked to her bedroom window and gently opened it. A cold night breeze swept in. It brushed her face and flitted through her hair. A chill went down her spine. She breathed it all in. Goodbye, Bern. Staff in hand, Angela carefully climbed out of the window, legs first, until she was planted against the wall, other hand clinging to the windowsill. Reaching up, she closed her window, and heard it lock with a _click_.

Holding onto the windowsill with one hand, she half-rotated away from the wall. This was it. Once she did this, her cover would be blown. The people on the streets below would spot her and know that Mercy was back, the United Nations' _Petras Act_ be damned. Angela took a few slow, deep breaths through pursed lips. This was it.

Amber wings of solid light sprung from the back of her suit and launched her into the sky. The cold night air whipped against her face as she cut through it. Below her the streets glittered with the lights of humanity. They were alive with cars, shops, business restaurants. And people. Angela was already so high they were mere specks on the ground, but she knew they were looking. She was plainly visible amongst the speckled night sky. Her wings glowed with heavenly light. They illuminated her pale face, and made her golden hair shine.

People would think Mercy was back, but she was still just Angela. She wasn't a hero anymore; she just wanted her loved ones safe.

So she flew, ignoring the stinging air in her eyes, until Lena's shuttle emerged from the night. It slowed and swung its rear door her way. It slid open. Angela pulled up as she entered, and alit in the passenger area.

The shuttle wasn't large. It had a cockpit at the front, with a pilot and co-pilot seat, and the passenger area, which had seats lining the walls.

Lena sat in the pilot's seat. She looked over her shoulder, grinning at Angela. "Hiya, love. The cavalry's here!"

Angela smiled back as she made her way to the co-pilot's seat. "Right on time, cadet!"

"Oi! I'm a fully-fledged agent like you, you know."

"You'll always be a cadet to me. You're just too adorable!"

Lena pouted. "Am not. I'm ferocious! Deadly! Anyway, weren't we going to find your boyfriend now?"

Angela's smile faded. "Yes, we were." Using her suit's communicator, she called Winston.

He picked up within seconds. _"Angela! Did Lena find you?"_

Angela glanced at Lena. "She did. Reyes turned up at my workplace and murdered my registrar, but Lena and I are okay."

 _"That's...unfortunate, but I'm glad you're okay. I'll see you at Gibraltar soon."_

"No, wait. I need to find Genji first. The last I heard from him he was in New York City. Can you tell me his last known communicator location?"

 _"Alright, let me check…he and McCree dropped off the grid about six hours ago, but at the time they were heading north. On foot, by the looks of it. Can't have gotten further than Harriman State Park. Unless they hitchhiked. Or they were found."_

"Thank you, Winston," Angela said bracingly. "Lena, you heard all that?"

"Aye aye!" she replied, and set her course towards the U.S.

Angela had the armrest in a white-knuckled grip. She would find Genji, before Reyes, or anyone else, could get to him.

 **A/N: I'm still getting used to writing multi-chapter fics, so I'm glad people are enjoying it. If you have any thoughts, don't hesitate to leave a review and let me know!**


	4. Chapter 4

Genji woke suddenly. His head still lay on Jesse's shoulder as they sat in the shade of a large tree. A gentle breeze drifted by - not that Genji could feel it through his armour - and golden sunlight speckled them both through the leaves. Before them lay a lake, shining blue like the clear sky above. And there was not a single person in sight. That was the most important thing.

They had been pursued doggedly by the sniper over the last twelve hours or so. She had chased them up the roads, through bush, into buildings. Wherever they went, she showed up soon after. Genji and Jesse had arrived at the park only an hour ago, both panting and drenched with sweat. Former covert ops Overwatch agents or not, it was a long time to be running. Genji had taken first watch and let Jesse grab some sleep. In that time he'd had a lot to think about. It was almost too much.

Genji hadn't been able to get the image of his mentor's head being shattered by a sniper round out of his head. He'd shuddered every time it crossed his mind's eye, despite his efforts to avoid it.

After his brother Hanzo had left him broken and bleeding, it had been Angela who had found him, and it had been Winston who had built his cybernetics; but it had been Zenyatta who had helped heal his spirit. Genji used to have so much hatred - for the world, for his brother, for himself. Thanks to Zenyatta, it was gone now. Mostly.

Genji still had the nightmares, and the incredibly inconvenient flashbacks. The day his brother tried to kill him was sharp and clear every time he relived it. What his brother did…how was he supposed to make peace with that? Brothers shouldn't do what Hanzo did. It was not justifiable. How could he _ever_ deserve Genji's forgiveness?

Behind his eyes he saw his home, Shimada Castle. He heard Hanzo growl in frustration as Genji disarmed him of his sword. He felt blinding pain as Hanzo's elbow collided with his jaw. Something cracked. Then it all fast-forwarded. Genji staggered through a forest. His right arm was broken beyond repair. White bone stuck out of his skin and dribbled blood. He heard his brother call out.

 _"Genji! It is over. You will burden our family no more. Accept your fate and you may yet restore a sliver of honour!"_

Genji staggered on until he reached a place where the trees ended. It was a cliff, sharp and steep. At the bottom of it were rocks and boulders, and then a continuation of the forest's trees. He turned around. There stood Hanzo, arrow nocked to his bow. Tears streamed down his face.

 _"Why, Genji? Why couldn't you just do your duty?"_

 _"Because it is not right! And unlike you, I decided to do what was right, not what was easy."_

 _"You think this is easy for me? Fighting you is the hardest thing I have_ ever _had to do!" Hanzo yelled._

 _"Then stop. Please."_

 _Hanzo shook his head. "It is too late for you. I will do my duty. I love you, Genji."_

Then Hanzo fired, and Genji woke up.

He lifted his head from Jesse's shoulder. "Any sign of trouble?"

"Not ye- wait." Jesse shoved Genji away and threw himself to the ground.

A sniper shot ripped through the tree they had been leaning on. Wood splinters sprayed everywhere. They both scrambled to their feet.

Jesse spat out a shard of wood, pointing. "Sniper's on that hill over there!"

Genji nodded. "You distract. I'll flank." He darted off into the trees.

Behind him he heard the bangs of Jesse's revolver, and the thunderclap of sniper shots with subsequent thunks into the ground. As far as he knew, the sniper was focused on Jesse, but she would've seen that Genji wasn't with him anymore. She would know he was coming, so he needed to make a second distraction.

Genji dashed the between the trees. Sunlight dappled a ground strewn with dirt, leaves, and bark. The ground grew steeper, and the booming sniper shots grew louder as he ascended the slope. At the top of the hill would be the sniper. Genji readied a shuriken in his right hand and drew his short sword with his left.

Within moments he spotted her. The same sniper from New York, perched in a tree atop the hill. She was still looking down her scope. Perfect opportunity. Too perfect. She would know he was coming. So where was the trap? Genji ducked behind a tree and glanced around him. Between the trees, only still, summer air.

Then several helmeted gunmen in black leapt from the trees and opened fire. Genji ducked, weaved, and dodged with frantic grace. His face beneath his mask dripped with sweat. His heartbeat bounded to catch up to the sudden activity. Using his short sword, he deflected a few bullets that almost landed. He flung his shuriken. It thunked into the chest of one of the gunmen. Faster than lightning, he leapt at another gunman and sliced his head from his shoulders. Then another. And another. The gunmen began to give ground, firing all the while. Their bullets splintered and maimed the pristine trees around. Wood shards misted the air. The repeated hammering of their guns would've made Genji deaf if he wasn't in his armour.

His fear turned to elation as he began to take control of the situation. Each gunman fell before him like wheat before a scythe. They began to run. He chased. Some got well away. Some died instantly. And an unlucky portion were teased with the thought of escape before being slain by the former Overwatch operative. Genji knew they were terrified. He felt it in his heart, and it sickened him. But he also knew that fear was the best protection for one man against many. It would do more work for him than his sword would in the long run, much as it had in the past.

However, Genji wasn't done - most of the gunmen were still alive, as was the sniper. Then a single sniper shot echoed through the skies, and Genji stumbled and fell heavily on his face. As he fell, he saw the dirt before him explode. He absently realised the bullet had ripped right through him and impacted the ground in front.

He landed, and his breath was knocked out of him. His legs weren't flesh and blood anymore, but he was still alarmed when they wouldn't move. Using his arms, he tried to push himself up. He propped up his torso, but he couldn't draw his feet underneath him. He collapsed back to the dirt. Footsteps surround him, followed by the cocking of guns. Then a final, lighter pair of footsteps approached. He looked up.

It was the sniper. She had purple skin and black hair, with gold eyes that glinted with malice. A dark smirk accentuated her sleek, elegant beauty, and Genji realised in a flash who she was.

Amélie Lacroix. Wife of the former golden boy of Overwatch, Gérard Lacroix.

He didn't know she'd survived, Genji mused.

Jesse had headed into the trees soon after Genji. He'd been careful to be a looming threat to the sniper. His shots had forced her to leap from tree to tree. Once or twice he thought he might have even hit her, but she always seemed to move just a millimeter ahead of his aim. He'd seen Genji close in on the sniper, and he'd thought it was all going to plan.

Then the gunmen had revealed themselves. Genji had been holding his own, but Jesse tried to rush in anyway. The sniper, however, kept him where he was. Shot after shot shattered bark around him. Jesse tried to get a return shot in, but was struck in his right shoulder. His revolver spiralled to the ground some metres away.

He ducked back behind the tree, clutching the wound on his shoulder. Blood already drenched his bionic left hand. Jesse felt warmth run down his shoulder blade into the small of his back. The shot must've gone right through, but he didn't feel a thing. Adrenaline flooded him.

Another sniper shot rang out, but no tree nearby erupted in splinters, nor was there any puff of dirt. Jesse's heart leapt to his throat, and he peered from behind his tree. Genji lay face-down on the ground, surrounded by gunmen. The sniper leapt from her perch in the trees, landed softly, and stood over Genji. Her lips moved. One gunman hoisted Genji onto his soldier.

Jesse wanted to cry out, open fire, anything; but he couldn't. They beat Genji, and now he was alone. They were organised, they were ready, and they drew them both into a trap. Jesse had to get out of here _now_ , and hope Genji would still be alive when he came for him.

Most of the gunmen charged through the trees at Jesse, some of them firing rounds from their automatic rifles. Jesse snarled as he hoisted himself off the ground and broke into a sprint for his life as he wove through the trees. Around him bullets cracked against the environment. He even felt a few whip past him, too close for comfort.

As he ran, he focused on his legs, his thumping heart, his burning lungs, the sweat drenching his clothes. He did not look back - you ran faster that way. Instead he gauged where his assailants were from where their gunshots sounded, where their bullets struck, and the angles between. And none of this he did consciously. It was instinct.

Then he heard a different sound, which stuck out so much he turned around anyway.

A rocket barrelled toward him. Jesse reflexively reached for his revolver, then remembered. He snarled and kept on running, praying it would miss.

It impacted somewhere behind him. The explosion ripped the nearest tree trunks to shreds in a blast of fire, and the outgoing shockwave of air picked Jesse up and flung him into the air above the trees. The world spun wildly around him. He could hear nothing but a sharp ringing that pierced his ear drums. Dread enveloped him. He would die today, when he landed and broke every bone in his body. He wasn't ready.

Then an arm grabbed Jesse around his torso and pulled him out of his chaotic flight. The world became more still, and he felt himself rising. Jesse opened his eyes. The ground was dropping rapidly away from him. He yelped and clutched the arm around his torso.

"Easy, cowboy. I've got you."

Jesse looked up over his shoulder. It was Mercy. Her blonde hair shone in the bright sunlight. It seemed to glow, and it illuminated Jesse with its golden light. Knowing eyes, blue as the clear sky above, gazed down at him with such compassion that Jesse knew he would be alright.

A shuttle appeared from the corner of Jesse's vision, door open, and Mercy flew right in. She landed heavily, jostling Jesse's shoulder. He cried out as pain reverberated from his wound.

"Get us away from their rockets!" cried Angela.

"Aye aye!" replied the pilot - Lena, Jesse recognised - and the shuttle shot away from Harriman State Park, flinging Jesse and Angela against the now-closed back door. They landed in a heap. Angela groaned as she untangled herself from Jesse.

Jesse winced as he slowly sat himself up against the door, clutching his wound again. Blood had liberally dribbled all over his clothes now. Some of it was smeared on the shuttle floor. "Not your smoothest of landings, Angie," Jesse quipped.

"We do our best," said Angela with a smile that was more a grimace. "Take off your top."

Jesse complied, but stopped when it came to removing his right arm from the sleeve. He grunted as he tried again, then stopped.

"Here, I'll help you." Angela helped him gently work his arm free of the sleeve.

Once it was off, he slumped, releasing a tired sigh. Now that Angela was able to have a proper look at him, Jesse seemed exhausted. He had prominent bags under his eyes. The usual cheer she remembered being bright in his eyes had faded to dull embers. He was thin, pale, hair unkempt, and he smelt a little.

Another sharp manoeuvre of the shuttle flung Angela and Jesse against the seats on the side. Jesse cried out again at the rough treatment of his shoulder. This time Angela hoisted Jesse onto a seat and strapped him in. She grabbed the shuttle's medical kit from an under-seat compartment and opened it. Using the tube of saline, she flushed Jesse's wound on both sides, and used a sterile cloth to wipe the excess blood away from the area.

"Try to relax," she said.

"Yes, doctor," said Jesse.

Angela smiled wryly. "Shut up."

Jesse chuckled.

"It looks like the bullet went clean through. You are very, very lucky. It cut right through the muscle, but apart from some bruising, your bones are fine; and it missed all the nerves and vessels nearby."

"What can I say, I got the luck of the devil."

Angela smiled, more sincerely this time. "Maybe you could share it around sometime." She stood and grabbed her staff.

"If only I could."

Angela noted the bitter undercurrent in his voice. It gave her pause. She returned and sat in the seat next to him. After calibrating her staff, she pointed it at Jesse's shoulder and activated it. A golden tendril of light came from it and suffused the wound.

Jesse let out a giggle and writhed in his seat. "That always tickles."

"Sit still, you goof."

Angela intermittently checked the progress of the wound. Bit by bit, the muscle was knitting back together, followed by the fascia, then the skin.

"Just like new, doc. I still swear that thing's magic."

"I can't keep dodging things forever! Are we staying or going?" Lena shouted from the cockpit.

"We're going! Take us home, Lena!" said Jesse.

Angela paled. "Wait!" She grabbed Jesse by the shoulders and looked him right in the eye. "We're not leaving without Genji. He was with you. He's down there…isn't he?"

Jesse looked away. "He is, but we can't go back."

"Why not?" Angela hissed. "Take us down, Lena. I'm going in!"

"No, you're not!" Jesse growled. "They set a trap and lured us in. They got Genji, and there's nothing we can do right now!" His voice wavered. "We have to go to Gibraltar. Regroup, and come back for him!"

"If that's the case, he's right, Angie," called Lena. "We're going!"

"No. _No!_ " In that moment, Angela hated them, but she knew they were right. With rough and venomous movement, she strapped herself in next to Jesse and gripped the seat like a vice.

The shuttle shot away. Towards Winston, to Overwatch. But away from Genji. She felt the tears behind her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Instead, she bit her lip and stared resolutely at the seat opposite her.

A gentle hand rested on her shoulder. She looked at Jesse. His eyes glistened.

"We'll get him back," he said.

And Angela couldn't hold it in. The tears fell. She pulled Jesse into a side-on hug, and they held each other until there were no more tears. Everything was silent. No-one said anything, not even Lena.

The shuttle flew through the air, away from Genji, and towards the only chance she would have of seeing him again.

 **A/N: Hello! Glad people are enjoying the story so far. So, I** _ **was**_ **gonna reunite Genji and Angela in this chapter, but...*angst***

 **Anyway, I hope you like this chapter, and if you have any thoughts on the story, feel free to review and let me know!**


	5. Chapter 5

The shuttle barrelled through the air towards Gibraltar. Jesse's head slumped against his chest, which rose and fell as gentle snores escaped him. Angela leaned her head back against her seat's headrest and closed her eyes. The steady thrum of the engines vibrated through her. It gradually kneaded some of the tension from her, muscle by muscle, head to toe, until she shivered. Though it couldn't soothe the aching of her heart, it relaxed her enough that soon she, too, fell into sleep.

 _Angela's mind sought to escape the anxiety and dread of the present, so it sent itself back in time. She remembered the arguments Reyes and Commander Morrison used to get into. They were explosive, and drew the stares of everyone in the room, plus a few more besides. She remembered talking to Reyes. He vented his frustrations to her. Talon kept taking more and more lives of Overwatch agents every day, and they suffered no retribution for it. It was survival of the fittest, and Overwatch had to shape up, or be lost to the oldest law of nature._

 _Angela remembered trying to remind him that Overwatch was bound by the United Nations, and they couldn't simply strike whoever they wanted whenever they wanted without good reason. Reyes disagreed, seeming to think she had taken Morrison's side instead of his. Angela had deflated at that. She respected both men greatly. They were both good friends of hers, and all she wanted was for her friends to be friends with each other again. She had even believed that was possible at the time. How young she had been._

 _Things escalated drastically. Reyes rallied his sympathisers to him and tried to usurp leadership from Morrison. The commander fought back, and in the wake of that conflict, everything Angela ever knew had died. 'Heroes never die,' she used to say. Not after that day._

 _She had heard the fire and explosions over the comms. She had heard people she'd cared about slaughter each other with desperate cries. Then the comms went down. 'Heroes never die,' she had said. But not anymore. They all die in the end, and there was no power she had to really stop it. It was just a matter of time. Had always been. And now it was Genji's turn. Genji. Panic threatened to overwhelm her. Her heart raced and she began to suffocate._

 _Then her mind fled back in time even further, ten years ago now, to Hanamura. To the beginning._

 _Angela is sitting on a stool at a bar. The golden lights above make her golden hair glisten and her pale skin glow. Compared to the dark hair of everyone around, she stands out more than blood on grass. She sips on a gin and tonic alone, exhausted and disappointed. Her job for the past week now was to find the Shimada clan and infiltrate it. Gain inside information so that Overwatch could take them down and end their reign of terror in Japan, once and for all. But she had no luck so far. Everyone dismisses her as a foreigner who knew nothing. Nobody trusts her. She knew Reyes would be disappointed._

 _Then all that changes when a young Japanese man, in a shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a bow tie hanging from his neck, strides up to her and takes the adjacent stool. Angela sips her drink, eyeing him up and down. His eyes are dark brown and his hair is slicked, but the back sticks up like he's a scruffy schoolboy rebelling against the teacher. His features are perfect, graced by a boyish smile. His shirt is unbuttoned part-way. Angela is able to see some of his strong chest. She wouldn't mind seeing more. The muscles in his forearms are clearly visible. This man is no stranger to hard work and dedication, yet here he is._

 _And all the while, Angela knows he's sizing her up too. Her golden hair in a pony-tail, with a fringe covering her right eye. Her sharp, blue eyes. The curve of her neck as her skin disappears into the tight, black dress she is wearing. She crosses her legs, accentuating her bare thighs as the dress's hem slips up her legs a little further. Accidental. Totally innocent. But it certainly drew his attention._

 _The man sits down and leans an elbow on the bar. "You're not from around here," he says in accented English._

 _Angela raises an eyebrow and takes a sip. "Clearly not. How'd you figure that?" she replies in perfect Japanese._

 _Plain surprise graces the man's features before he bursts into laughter. "I was not expecting_ that _," he says in Japanese_

 _Angela smiles faintly. "I'm full of surprises."_

 _"Why don't we grab some food and you can tell me all about them?"_

 _"If I did they wouldn't be surprises anymore. But you're a clever man - I do like free food."_

 _The man laughs again. It's so youthful and free. It makes Angela's heart flutter. "Now that is_ not _so surprising. Let's grab a booth and order something." He stands and makes his way to a nearby booth. Angela follows, drink in hand, herself curious to learn more about him. A man with bright eyes and an easy laugh. What lay beneath?_

 _The man gestures, inviting Angela to seat herself first. The booth is semi-circular, with a small round table in the centre whose circumference is accentuated with gold plating. The seat is a plush, dark leather. When Angela sits down, she sinks into its comfort, wishing she could disappear for just a moment. She notices the man watching her as he takes a seat opposite her._

 _"You seem tired. Maybe just a snack and we can catch up again later?" he says._

 _Angela can't help but smile. "You_ are _a clever man. I'm exhausted. But I'm not quite ready to go home yet. Let's order."_

 _The man smiles back. He waves his hand and calls an employee over. "What has got you exhausted?"_

 _"Work," Angela says wryly. "I'm a doctor, you see, and both my patients_ and _my bosses can be very demanding."_

 _"A doctor? Wow, you must be smart. How long have you been a doctor?"_

 _"Since I was 17."_

 _The man splutters. "Wh- how? Are you even human?"_

 _Angela laughs. "Yes, I'm human, I just…work more than I should." Her levity fades a little at the end of the sentence._

 _"Then it's good you've got some time off now, huh?"_

 _"Oh, so good. What do you do? Or do you just slack off in bars for a living?" Angela finishes with a smile, but her joke doesn't land._

 _Irritation flashes across the man's face before his easy expression resumes itself. "I'm the son of a businessman who does not have much taste for business. I could be doing something better."_

 _Angela leans forward against the table. "If you could do anything you wanted, what would you do?"_

 _The man strokes his chin. "I'm…not sure." He sits back and crosses his arms. "But I can sort that all out in due time."_

 _The waiter arrives at their table. His pen and notepad are out, ready to take their order._

 _A man from the booth behind Angela shouts, "Waiter! Where's our order?"_

 _The waiter replies, "I'm sorry, but we're very busy. We'll get to- "_

 _"How about you get to it now and stop with this sh**ty service?" demands the man in the booth behind._

 _The waiter grows more flustered. He fidgets with his pen and takes an unconscious step back. "I'm sorry, but we're doing what we can."_

 _Then the man sitting with Angela speaks up. "Yo! Leave the kid alone, this place is busy. If you want fast food, go to McDonalds!"_

 _"Piss off!" comes the enraged reply, but no more words are directed at the waiter, who gingerly steps closer to Angela's table again._

 _The man orders a plate of chips to share._

 _While he does so, Angela can't keep her eyes off him. Who is this mysterious, handsome heir who defends the working class citizen? "I'll pay for it," she says._

 _The man, once again, looks surprised._

 _Angela shrugs. "What? You defended the waiter. You deserve the treat."_

 _The man blushes slightly and glances down at the table, and for the first time Angela sees something else._

 _Only briefly though, because he quickly makes eye contact again, his easy smile back on his face. "So many surprises. I wonder how many more you have," he says. "Won't you tell me your name?"_

 _Angela straightens her back. "I am Dr Angela Ziegler. And you are…?"_

 _The man bows slightly in his seat. "Genji Shimada, at your service."_

 _Angela's eyes spring wide. Her heart thuds in her chest._

Angela woke up gasping and clammy in the shuttle's seat. Sweat slicked her hair to her forehead. She grimaced as she combed her fringe of her forehead. Beside her, Jesse was still asleep, slumped and snoring away.

"Hope you got some good sleep in, Ang. We'll be at Gibraltar real soon!" said Lena.

"It was wonderful," remarked Angela, not trusting her eyes to close again. She swallowed against the nausea. Maybe _she_ should see a doctor, she thought wryly.

 **A/N: Thanks a bunch to the people who reviewed! I'm so happy you guys like this story, and I'm pretty keen to continue writing it. Yep, this is a flashback chapter. Since Genji/Mercy is the prime ship in this story, I wanted to flesh them out a bit more.**

 **If you have any thoughts on the story, feel free to leave a review and let me know. I'll see you next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

Jesse sleepily padded his way through Gibraltar's breakroom. It was still the dead of night, but Winston had called for a briefing soon, not sure what time. He would've complained in any other circumstances, but not this time. With just a simple shirt and pants on and his hair still scruffy from sleep, he realised he wasn't the picture of professionalism. But hey, Overwatch was officially over, right? Who cares. He was aching for a coffee to wipe the sleep from his eyes. A large yawn escaped him.

"Want me to pour you a cup?"

Jesse looked up at the voice. Leaning against the bench next to the kettle, steaming cup in hand, was Ana. Her hair was greying now, and her eyes were beginning to crinkle from a lifetime of smiling. Her right eye was obscured by an eyepatch, but below her left eye was her signature tattoo - the Eye of Horus.

Jesse squinted. Then he rubbed his eyes, and squinted again. "You…you're dead, aren't you?"

Ana smirked. "Yes, I'm just a ghost. Don't tell anyone."

Jesse ran a hand through his hair and sauntered to Ana. "Look, Captain, this surprise couldn't be more pleasant, but…why didn't you tell us you survived?"

Ana poured a cup of coffee and handed it to Jesse, and sighed. "It was better that our enemies thought I was dead. I'm sorry for the pain that caused."

Jesse leaned on the bench next to her. He shook his head, smiling wryly. "I ain't gonna say the grieving process was fun, but I'm glad you're back. We need you now. We need a leader."

Ana chuckled. "Oh no, I'm too old for that now. But I'll keeping an eye on you."

Jesse laughed. "I see what you did there. Cyclops."

Ana thwapped Jesse on his arm. "How dare you talk to a woman like that." She smiled good-naturedly.

"I learned from the best."

"I hope you're not talking about Genji. He stumbled blindly into Angela's arms. He's lucky she thought that was cute."

"Aw, c'mon now, he's got _some_ moves."

Ana scoffed. "Genji was a playboy, but certainly no romantic."

"I bow to your wisdom, Captain Amari."

Ana smirked again. "As you should. We should get to the briefing room. They're probably waiting for us."

Jesse followed her as she strode through the doorway into the briefing room. He would've thought she might be cautious about how everyone would interpret her being alive, but she walked in without a care in the world. She sat casually in a chair at the table, sipping her coffee. Jesse took a seat next to her.

He surveyed the circular table. Ana sat on his right. Opposite him sat Angela, looking gaunt and sleep-deprived. Lena sat next to her, with a comforting hand on Angela's arm. Towards the right side of the table sat Winston. Despite it being midnight, he had an undercurrent of energy about him. On Jesse's left sat Reinhardt and his squire, Brigitte. Reinhardt's white hair was slicked back as always, and his tank-top showed off his bulging muscles. Nothing changes apparently. Brigitte, however, had grown up since Jesse had seen her. Last time, she had been just a kid. Now, she looked…stronger - and not just physically. She seemed more sure of herself, and eager to prove it.

Winston cleared his throat. "Alright. First, I want to say how glad I am to see you all here safe."

"Aww, we love you too, Winston!"

Winston smiled. "Yes, thank you, Lena. I wish better circumstances had brought us together. Agents of Overwatch are being hunted. Gabriel Reyes is spearheading the hunt, but he's not working alone. From what Lena and I have gathered, he's now one of Talon's leading members."

"What's Talon?" asked Brigitte.

"An organisation who believes in strength through conflict. Only the strongest deserve to survive in this world."

Brigitte grimaced. "That's horrible."

"It is. And it's highly likely they've been responsible for the growing violence in the world. If they get their way, we'll have a new Omnic Crisis on our hands."

Lena raised her hand. "I have a question."

Winston paused. "Yes?"

"How are _you_ ," she pointed at Ana, "sitting there? I thought you were dead, love."

Ana shrugged.

"Captain Amari survived, and she kept that secret for her own safety. We can discuss it later," said Winston.

Brigitte laughed. "That's so cool, Ana."

Ana bore her gaze into Brigitte. "You think it cool that I almost died?"

Brigitte paled and held up her hands defensively. "No, no, nothing like that. I meant- "

Now it was Ana's turn to laugh. "It's alright, child. I'm just messing with you."

"Oh, well…" Brigitte trailed off, rubbing her neck.

"Don't meet your heroes, kid," said Jesse.

Ana thwapped his arm again.

Reinhardt guffawed, patting Brigitte on the back. "Welcome to Overwatch!"

Brigitte smiled nervously.

Winston huffed. "Please, we need to focus. Reyes and the rest of Talon is hunting us, and they're destabilising human-omnic relations. We need a plan."

"But how did Reyes survive?" said Ana.

Jesse glanced across the table at Angela. Her face looked drawn, almost ill. She probably hadn't slept since they'd landed in Gibraltar. Lena nudged her, and Angela opened her mouth to speak. "I…I can answer that."

All eyes turned to her.

"What do you mean?" said Winston.

Angela tentatively looked around the room. "Please don't hate me for what I'm about to say."

"Angela, please. We could never hate you," said Reinhardt.

Angela swallowed. "Well, he didn't actually survive. I went to the Swiss headquarters as fast as I could when I heard what was happening. When I arrived, there was nothing but rubble. The explosion had happened at least half an hour before I arrived, so all the corpses I found I deemed beyond my ability to safely resurrect. But then I found Reyes, and…"

"And?" prompted Jesse.

Lena rubbed Angela's shoulder. "It's alright, love. Take your time."

Angela took a deep, shuddering breath. "…And I resurrected him."

"But I thought you said that after five minutes resurrection was impossible?" said Winston.

"There's no actual time limit, only that sooner is better. I just said five minutes because Overwatch needed a concrete protocol to work with, and five was the longest I'd ever attempted," said Angela.

"So you resurrected him. I assume it went wrong," said Jesse.

"Yes, it did. I couldn't stabilise his cells, so they replicate and die at an astronomic rate. And it must be agonising. His screams…" Angela looked down. "I…"

"It's alright, love. It's okay," Lena murmured. "We're in a safe place."

"We won't let him hurt you, Angela," said Reinhardt.

Angela smiled humourlessly. "It's not me I'm worried about. It's all of you. They've already taken Genji, and I have no idea if he's alive or dead."

"I'd say he's alive," Jesse cut in. "Us here have relocated, so some of Reyes' intel would be useless now. He'd be looking to get some locations out of Genji."

"Torture," Angela stated.

Jesse sighed. "Probably. Also, Ana, guess who captured Genji?"

Ana stared at Jesse flatly. "Who?"

"The Widowmaker. Amelie Lacroix."

"Of course she did," Ana said bitterly. "But regardless, Winston is right: we need a plan."

Reinhardt punched his palm. "I say we take the fight to them!"

"I like it," said Ana. "We should prioritise Reyes, since he's the most immediate threat to us. We can deal with the rest of them later."

"But how will we hunt him down? We have no leads," said Lena.

"By dangling ourselves as bait," said Jesse. "We should show the world that Overwatch is back to restore peace. Show up where the fighting's the worst and end it. Sooner or later Gabe will know to find us at one of these fights, and we take him down when he shows."

"I like the way you think, Jesse, but he would set a trap for us when he decides to show up," said Reinhardt. "He's craftier than a jackrabbit."

"It's terribly risky, but without any leads it's the best we can do," said Ana.

"So it's official, then? Overwatch is back?" said Lena, a grin spreading on her face.

"I suppose we are," said Ana.

Jesse looked around the table. Ana was smiling faintly, finishing off her coffee. Winston had a serious look on his face, but Jesse could practically feel the glee emanating from him. Angela was still worn out, but her eyes looked a little brighter than before. Lena was of course grinning broadly. Reinhardt was whispering something to Brigitte, who seemed brimming with energy.

And despite everything, Jesse found himself smiling along with them.

 **A/N: thank you all for following along with the story, and thank you guest for your nice words :) I'm having good fun writing this, so stay tuned for the next chapter. As always, if you have any thoughts on the story so far, feel free to review and let me know!**


	7. Chapter 7

A sharp pain in Genji's chest pierced the darkness. He was dragged out of the comfortable blackness of unconsciousness by it, and he gradually became aware of his senses.

The frosty cold of metal lay against his back, and the air was chilly against his skin. Genji had been stripped of his armour and mask. He was utterly naked. Vulnerable. There were also hard, metal clamps pinning his limbs and head to the table. He couldn't move, save for some writhing.

Genji opened his eyes. The harsh glare of fluorescent lights stung his retinas. He had to blink several times before his surrounds came into focus.

The first thing he noticed were the walls and the ceiling. They were a hard, grey metal that entrapped him. Separated him from the rest of time and space. He would never know how long he'd been here, or what time of day it was, or even where _here_ was.

The second thing he noticed was the tray next to the bed. On it were several tools and devices that, while unfamiliar, he could guess their functions. Something about their sharp edges and eerie glint whispered something sinister.

The third thing he noticed was the shadow standing next to the tray. It was a hooded man dressed all in black. His face was covered by a skeletal mask, and he wore sharp metal gauntlets that went up to his elbows.

And, of course, the first thing Genji said was: "That is a nice costume. Where did you get it?"

The shadow grunted. "I'm glad you like it," he replied in a harsh, guttural, distorted voice, "Genji Shimada of Overwatch."

"So this was not random. You want me for something," said Genji.

"You're smarter than I remember," said the shadow.

"Now that is not called for…hold on. Than you remember? I don't believe we have met. I would remember someone like," Genji looked the shadow up and down, "you."

The shadow laughed. "Aww, you hurt my feelings." He slowly drew back his hood and removed the mask from his face, revealing the face of Gabriel Reyes.

Genji stared in shock. Reyes was _dead_. He'd died at the fall of the Swiss headquarters…hadn't he? But the Reyes he saw now was not the face he remembered. This face was marred by several new scars. It seemed to emanate a malevolent black smoke, and appeared to shift and waver, as if Reyes' face was underwater.

"But you _died_. What…what have you become, Gabe?"

"You can ask your _girlfriend_ that, old friend," Reyes snarled. " _She's_ the one responsible for _this_." He pointed at his face. " _She's_ responsible for the living hell I endure _every day_ because of her _meddling!_ "

"Her meddling? Gabe, what are you talking about?"

Reyes stopped and looked askance at Genji, then burst into laughter. "What, she didn't tell you?"

"She told me everyone died. Including you."

"That's half of it. The other half is she dragged me kicking and screaming back into life. But I'm not really alive now, nor am I dead. I'm some _fucked up_ thing in between," Reyes spat.

Genji had no idea how to react. Reyes was _alive_ , and filled with venomous hate towards someone he loved. He'd seen Reyes' anger before. He'd seen it take lives and cause destruction that had left ripples on the world. Now it was directed at Angela.

"And all this time she's been living happy and free. She should have left me dead, but I'll show her what a mistake she's made."

"How?" Genji had to ask. He never could keep his mouth shut when he had to.

"I'll find her. You're going to tell me. And then I'll give her your broken, lifeless body before I kill her too, slowly and more painfully than she can imagine."

"If I'm going to die anyway, why would I tell you?"

"Pain will break you."

"I already know of pain, Gabe. My brother showed it to me."

Reyes chuckled. "Not like this. I'll show you _real_ pain." He replaced his mask and drew up his hood again. "It's time for fear. The _Reaper_ is here."

Genji's heart hammered, but he swallowed as he maintained his external composure. He forced himself to laugh. " _Reaper_? Not scary, my friend."

Reaper pulled the tray of tools and devices closer to him. "Let me fix that."

Angela sat on the floor with a glass of gin in her hand. Jesse sat opposite her with his own glass, and between them sat the bottle.

They were in the sparring room underground in Watchpoint Gibraltar. They had started drinking at about 4am local time, an hour or so after the meeting had ended. And they were still going strong.

All the lights were off, save the dim floor lighting that bordered each arena. Angela preferred it that way. The darkness hid her. Sheltered her. Made her safe enough to drink and release everything that was pent up inside. She could barely make out the glint of the bottle, or the brown liquid in her glass, or the shape of Jesse in front of her. Safe.

The deathly silence magnified every little sound. Every movement. Every sip. Every sigh. But not a word had been spoken since Angela and Jesse had started drinking.

By now Angela's peripheries felt warm and tingly. Her head swam every time she shifted her weight, and her thoughts moved like sludge in her brain. Not enough brain power to think about Genji. Or Reyes. Perfect. Just perfect.

And then Brigitte shoved the door open and flicked the lights on.

Angela and Jesse flinched, suddenly flooded by the white lights on the ceiling.

"Why you gotta do that, kid?" Jesse groaned, shielding his eyes.

"Yes, the dark is," Angela giggled, "beautiful."

Brigitte was stunned. "What…why are you…" She shook her head. "Never mind. Winston told me to come get you. You have to see the news right now."

Angela groaned, her heart deflating. "Why?" she whined.

Brigitte rolled her eyes and strode up to Angela and Jesse. "Come on." She grabbed them both by the arms and yanked them to their feet. Jesse yelped, and Angela giggled again.

"Too fast! Too fast!" said Jesse.

"You're Overwatch agents! Overwatch! Get it together, guys," said Brigitte.

Angela laughed as Brigitte lead her and Jesse out of the sparring room. "We have it very together."

Brigitte sighed. "Of course you do."

Jesse struggled against Brigitte's vice grip on his arm, but Angela was content to be pulled along. Down the hallway. To the elevator. Into another hallway. Into the lounge. There sat Winston, a serious expression on his face.

"Come on, man, don't you ever sleep?" groaned Jesse.

"What- why- Angela, why is he drunk? He's just been recalled!" said Winston.

Angela giggled. "I don't know, Winston. I'm not a miracle worker. Well, not _always_." She winked and laughed again.

"What- Angela, I- what are you- are you drunk too?" Winston spluttered incredulously. "I can't believe this! I thought you would be responsible enough to keep a clear head and remain alert. You're an active agent again. So is Jesse. I need you both ready at all times!"

In a heartbeat, Angela's cheery façade shattered. "Oh, give me a break!" Angela snapped. "I've been stressed out of my mind! Reyes has Genji, and he's got a personal grudge against _me_. That's enough on my plate, thank you, let alone mothering anyone else! I can't take this. We need to do something _now!_ " Angela's voice had escalated to a shout. "And who put _you_ in charge anyway? Ana is the highest ranking agent here. Not you!"

Winston's mouth hung open. "Angela, I…I didn't realise. I'm sorry you're feeling like this, but my point still stands. We have to be ready," he said gently.

Angela buried her face in her hands. "I can't do this. I can't just sit here."

"Angela, Winston called you here because he has a mission for us!" said Brigitte, crossing her arms.

Angela blinked. "Oh. I see." She took a deep breath. "What's the mission then?"

"We should gather everyone first," said Winston.


	8. Chapter 8

Genji had been on that table for what must've been days now, underneath those harsh fluorescent lights that never turned off. He had completely lost track of day and night. Reaper had been in and out during that time, always asking the same question: "Which base is Mercy hiding in?"

And every time, Genji refused to answer. Pain was what greeted that reply. Reliably and definitively. Reaper hadn't been lying - he definitely knew about pain. Genji had learned things about it he wished he could purge from his mind. Angela could probably arrange that.

Throughout his life, Genji had been broken, crushed, stabbed, sliced, and beaten, but he had never known pain like Reaper could conjure. It was like he knew the most efficient, effective ways to elicit maximum agony. Down to a science. Very cold and clinical.

The only reliable way Genji could cope was using the training he'd received from his family and Zenyatta - by using a focus to sink into a meditative trance. It didn't stop the pain, but it allowed him to remain himself throughout it. The focus he chose each time was Angela. The thought of her. The memories. The feelings. Everything he could muster. But he knew eventually it wouldn't be enough. He would break and betray not just her, but everyone he loved most in the world.

The doors opened and Reaper strode into the room, interrupting Genji's thoughts. He sidled up next to the table, his skull mask leering over Genji.

"Feeling comfortable, _friend_?" he rasped.

"Better now that you're here, _friend_ " Genji replied.

"What a coincidence. I can fix that too," said Reaper, rubbing his hands together. "Oh, and Overwatch was on the news. They resolved a hostage crisis in a shopping mall in Milan. And now everyone's freaking out about it! What a joke."

"Overwatch is back, huh? You're in trouble now, Gabe."

Reaper chortled. "I don't think so. Having you all band together simply makes it easier for me to kill you all."

"Are you simple? We are stronger together. Much stronger than you."

Reaper snorted. "Pathetic. And they're clearly not strong enough to save you from _me_." He leaned closer to Genji's face. "Now tell me: which base are they all hiding in? Beijing? Cairo?"

"F*** you, Gabe," Genji spat.

"So be it."

And so began the pain. It was mind-shattering. Obliterating. Genji arched his back and screamed in agony. Nothing in his life compared. He couldn't take it. His mind couldn't take it, so it curled up on itself, and wrapped itself in light, in memories.

 _Pulling over his eyes is a memory from nine years ago. Overwatch is still at the height of its power in star-studded limelight. Before all the scandal. Before Reyes went and messed it up._

 _Genji is sitting in his quarters in the headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland. This is the largest Overwatch headquarters by far, the centre of its operations. It boasts all the fresh, sleek elegance and technology the combined resources of the entire United Nations can buy, and has the man-power of hundreds to back it up. Overwatch ushered in the golden age in which the world now prospers. They are the best in the world, so they deserve the best._

 _But not Genji. He sits on his bed alone, inspecting the cybernetic prostheses on his body. They have been with him for some time now, but he is still not used to them. He still remembers what it was like to be all flesh and blood. Everything is different now. It does not feel right. He is less now than the man he used to be. His once-handsome face is marred with several scars. His once-lively mind is now plagued by fear and doubt._

 _A knock on the door interrupts his thoughts. "Genji? Are you in?"_

 _Angela! A smile spreads on his face. He fights to keep it casual. "Come in!" he calls._

 _The door slides open. There stands Angela, still in her blue combat medic's uniform. She has scuff marks all over her, and the uniform looks dishevelled and worn. Her shoulder-length hair has been let down out of its usual pony tail. It perfectly frames the cute little smile she is wearing. She is so beautiful without even trying. Why is she choosing him?_

 _"Hello," says Genji, waving his hand. Inside, he cringes. Why is he so awkward? Did his brother kill his mojo too?_

 _"Hey," says Angela. She steps inside and presses the door switch. It hisses shut behind her. "I missed you at Jesse's post-mission movie night just now."_

 _Instantly, Genji's stomach turns. "At Jesse's? You know he annoys me."_

 _"He doesn't mean any of it. He's just trying to have fun."_

 _"He can call me when his sense of humour improves," replies Genji, gesturing with his hand._

 _Angela laughs. "Don't let him hear you say that." She sits down on the bed next to Genji. She's close enough that he can feel the dimple she forms in the mattress' surface. It would be all too easy to slide even closer. But he won't. She deserves better. "How are you doing?" she asks._

 _Genji shrugs. "I passed my physical. I am cleared for active duty."_

 _Angela simply looks at him and takes his bionic right hand in her own. She gently strokes his hand with her thumb. He can feel her touch. Light as a feather. Pleasant as a breeze. Cool and refreshing, he shivers at the contact._

 _Genji looks down. "I suppose I could be better."_

 _A moment of patient silence. "Tell me," Angela prompts, her voice soft and kind._

" _I am still not used to Winston's cybernetics. I know you and he saved my life, and I am grateful for that, but…" He trails off._

" _But it's not like it was before," Angela finishes._

 _Genji looks back at Angela. The soft lighting of the room casts her face in contoured light and shadows, and her hair quietly reflects the light around. He looks into her eyes. Iridescent, and blue like a clear summer sky, gazing into his own. His breath catches._

" _It will never be like it was before," says Angela._

 _Genji nods. "I know."_

" _And one day, you'll see that it's going to be okay anyway."_

" _But…how? I am so much less of a man than I was."_

 _Angela cups Genji's cheek, and she gazes at him with such tenderness he wants to kiss her. Instead, he briefly closes his eyes, savouring her touch. "You abandoned a family who would have you live a life of crime. And you did it to help restore peace to the world, rather than lounge about with…with alcohol and women."_

 _Genji blushes and averts his eyes. "You are the best woman I have known. Why would I settle for another?"_

 _Angela giggles. "I wasn't fishing for that, but thank you. My point is, it takes so much courage to do what you did. I don't know anyone else who would have done that."_

" _I am sure there are a few."_

 _But Angela was shaking her head. "No, Genji. I'm a doctor. I've met so many people, but you're the best man I've known."_

 _Genji stares at her. He has no words. Angela is gazing back. In the silence, Genji's heartbeat thuds in his ears. Angela is so close. He feels her warmth. He glances at her lips. They are soft, and pink, and begging to be kissed. Genji still can't entirely wrap his head around why Angela is with_ him _, but he was never one to refuse a gift. He counts himself lucky. He makes the most of it. Genji knows he will remember this for years to come. Something hard and brittle in his heart cracks, giving way to something soft. Something light. Warmth floods his body with every breath._

 _Genji has no words. So he wraps an arm around Angela's waist, pulls her close, and kisses her instead. His kiss is gentle. He feels Angela melt against him. Her hands cup his face. He shivers._

 _The scent of sweet, autumn flowers fill Genji's nose, and he breathes it in. It is the same as always. He flits his tongue against Angela's lips. She flits hers against his, then moans as she presses against him harder. Her arms wrap around his neck as she deepens the kiss._

 _Their mouths move harmoniously, to the music only the two of them can hear. This time Genji moans as he savours Angela's taste. His heart beats faster, and he pushes himself against her. She gives way._

 _They fall onto the bed. Angela is beneath him. One of her legs wraps around him. The other dangles off the bed. Genji briefly pulls away. Angela whines and tries to pull him back. He kisses her deeply for just a moment, then shifts her up the bed so that she is entirely on it._

 _Angela yelps at the sudden movement. The sound is so cute Genji can't help but laugh, and Angela laughs with him. They're grinning at each other, gazing into each other's eyes. The air thrums with energy. Angela's face is flushed. Her chest is heaving, and she is gazing at him with dark, half-lidded eyes. It's a look Genji has seen many times before. But on no one else has it ever been so alluring. Angela is desire incarnate. He has to have her. Now._

 _Genji resumes kissing her. He feels her underneath him. His kisses begin to leave Angela's mouth and leave a trail of saliva all the way to her neck. He gently bites. Angela lets out a throaty moan._

 _"Keep going," she murmurs._

 _Genji obliges. He kisses her neck, intermittently biting and eliciting a groan each time. Angela tugs on Genji's T-shirt, but it gets caught on his arms. He sits up and takes it off before resuming his rough kisses. His hands wander to Angela's chest and gently begin massaging. Angela arches herself into his hands. He unbuttons Angela's uniform from top to bottom and pulls it open, revealing a black bra._

 _"Shall I do it, or can you manage it this time?" Angela says._

 _Genji glances at her face. She's smirking. Genji chuckles. This woman is amazing. "I can do it," he says, hoping he can do it. He reaches around her back and finds the bra clasp. Taking a deep breath, he tries to focus on the movements. He is rewarded by his patience. He pulls the bra from her and flings it away._

 _Angela giggles. "You did it! I'm so proud!"_

 _Genji holds up a hand. "Angela, please. I am a real man."_

 _She bites her lip. "So come get me."_

 _And Genji is more than happy to. His kisses begin to trail up from her neck. One of his hands knead one of Angela's breasts. The other strokes her thigh. Angela's breathing grows faster, deeper. His mouth reaches her mouth again. She clings to him tighter._

 _Genji's hand finds the waist of her pants. He hooks it in and works her pants down. Angela wriggles, trying to help. Genji pulls her trousers off her feet, and, smirking, throws them carelessly away. Angela's underpants are black - like her bra._

 _Grinning, Angela slides her underpants down her legs, and before him is the most intoxicating sight Genji has ever seen in his life. Angela lies naked amidst sprawling sheets with a beckoning smile on her face. All the lights in the room are off, save for the soft bedside lights intended to read by. All the curves of Angela's body are accentuated in the light and shadow. Her eyes glint in the half-light. She is perfect. And she is his._

 _Genji does not hesitate. He removes his trousers and underwear, and crawls over her. Her skin is pale in the dim light of the room. She is soft, and warm, and the scent of honeysuckle drifts from her hair. She is gazing at him tenderly and stroking his hair._

" _I love you, Genji," she says._

 _Genji's heart swells to bursting. Something catches in his throat. He has no words to properly express how he feels, so he settles on, "I love you too, Angela. More than I can say."_

Pain lanced through Genji's focus, ripping the dreamscape apart. Genji screamed. His throat was raw. It quickly gave out. He quickly gave out. There was nothing left to fight with. Only pain existed, ripping him apart, his very identity, until all there was left was a man who wanted release. To his great shame and humiliation, he gave up the one thing he could not afford to lose.

And Reaper promptly sent the Widowmaker to see if Genji had told the truth.


	9. Chapter 9

Angela sat in Gibraltar's control room alone, sipping a cup of instant coffee. It was liquid dirt, but it kept her going. Tonight was her turn to keep watch. Jesse had woken her from fitful sleep an hour ago, and she was glad for it. Her dreams had been filled with dark and fearful thoughts.

She had dreamt of Genji, and his smile, and of his broken body at the bottom of a cliff. That third one was the worst. Genji's brother had stood at the top of that cliff. His face was streaked with tears. He and Angela had locked eyes for a moment before he turned and walked away.

The control room was dark and silent, blanketed in the soft, navy blue of midnight. Everyone was in their room asleep. It should have all been quiet. But it wasn't.

A solitary red blip appeared on the scanner. Angela put down her coffee and stared. A pit of dread snarled in her stomach. She wanted to throw up. She felt sick. They wouldn't know they were in _these_ headquarters. There was no way they would know. Unless…

Genji. They had gotten to Genji. They had broken him.

 _No._

That was enough to ignite Angela's anger. How dare they.

How dare they break the strongest, sweetest man there was.

How dare they.

And so Angela went to investigate, blaster in hand.

The blip had appeared behind some crates the loading bay outside. The bay overlooked the ocean, which wasn't on show tonight. Clouds blanketed the sky and hid the moon from the world. Without the moonlight's twinkle, the ocean remained dark and dead.

Angela crept through the shadows along the side of the bay. She spotted the crates in question, and with them, her target. A woman with a back-length ponytail crouched behind the crates. She was glancing around, apparently about to make another move.

Angela narrowed her eyes. She knew this woman. This was the Widowmaker. The woman who had captured Genji and led him to torture. Images flashed through her head. Her Genji, her sweet Genji, screaming in pain. Her Genji, who only wanted to laugh and make other people laugh too, was trapped, alone, and suffering. Because of this woman in front of her.

Fury flared through Angela. She drew her blaster from its holster like Jesse McCree, and loosed a shot at her target.

It struck Widowmaker in her left shoulder blade. She yelped, then spun to face Angela, rifle at her shoulder.

Angela froze. She hadn't expected such a fast reaction.

Widowmaker squeezed the trigger. Her rifle boomed, and the bullet punched right through Angela's chest on the right side.

Angela gasped. Her blaster clattered to the ground. She doubled over into a coughing fit, spraying blood along the ground with each cough. Blood streamed from her wound, painting her clothes red.

Widowmaker smirked. Her gold eyes glinted with satisfaction.

But Angela didn't fall. She swayed for a moment, and then her wound began to heal. In moments, there was only pale skin beneath the bullet hole in her shirt.

Widowmaker gawked, jaw slack and eyes wide. "So it's true…" she murmured.

A savage snarl twisted Angela's features. She dove at Widowmaker, spear-tackling her to the ground. Angela straddled the assassin and began laying heavy punches into her face.

But Widowmaker was having none of it. Angela's blows had knocked the surprise out of her. She bucked her hips and shoved Angela off her. Widowmaker's left eye was bruising, and blood trickled from her mouth.

As Angela pushed herself off the ground, she smirked with satisfaction at the sight.

Widowmaker didn't let her savour it for long. She pounced on Angela, striking her several times in the body and face before twisting Angela around into a headlock. Widowmaker sat atop Angela, who was prone on the ground, her back arched by Widowmaker's grip.

Angela struggled to breathe against the pressure on her windpipe. She struggled and writhed to no avail. She tried to swing her elbows back at Widowmaker, but her assailant permitted no such movement. Her blaster was mere feet away. She struggled to reach for it, but also in vain.

Her vision began to dim. The rage roaring in her heart began to fade as her lungs began to cry out. Breathe! Breathe! But she couldn't, and her brain was slowly shutting down.

As the edges of her consciousness began to die, she reached into her pocket and pressed a button on her Overwatch communicator. The distress signal.

As darkness swallowed her vision, she heard a _thunk_ , and felt the pressure from her neck suddenly release. She gasped air in frantically. Too frantically, and she curled up into another coughing fit. She glanced at her hand. More blood. Sweat drenched her, but she didn't care. She could breathe.

Angela turned around and saw Widowmaker lying on the ground. She was still, but breathing. Merely unconscious, with a dart in her neck. Angela followed the trajectory of the dart. Her gaze trailed up to the catwalks high in the loading bay, and near one of the doors up there stood a figure with a sniper rifle.

 _Ana._

Angela could laugh with relief. So she did.

 _ **|| Watchpoint Gibraltar ||**_

 _ **|| Message logged at 0008 by user**_ **Mercy** _ **||**_

 _ **|| Authorised by administrator**_ **Winston** _ **on the direction of Cpt Ana Amari ||**_

 _My dearest Genji,_

 _I am leaving this encrypted message in Athena's memory in case you escape, so that you can find your way back to me. Where the sparrow met the dove is where I will be waiting._

 _Widowmaker found us, which means Reyes knows where we are, which means we are not safe here, and we have since vacated the premises._

 _I know Reyes would not know our location without you having disclosed it. The first thing I want you to know is that it is not your fault. I know you. I know you would never do anything to hurt me. And I know Reyes would go to any lengths for the opposite. I know you did not give that information willingly, so you are completely innocent in all this._

 _In case you did not know, all agents of Overwatch have been recalled. Many have ignored the call, but some of our old friends are back together again. It warmed my heart so much I cried when I first saw them again after so many years. Our family is together again, Genji. The only one missing for me is you._

 _I hope I see you again soon. I hope you found what you were searching for in your travels. And I hope you have escaped._

 _But if you have not, then know this: I am coming for you. Overwatch is coming for you, and Reyes will regret laying so much as a finger on you. This I promise. You will soon be safe again, one way or another._

 _With all my love,_

 _Your guardian angel._

 ** _|| End message ||_**


	10. Chapter 10

Angela crept through moonlit shadow. Down a hallway. Through a security door. And into the belly of the safe house.

Overwatch had fled to their safe house in the suburbs of Paris, France. And it really was a house. It was a quaint, old-fashioned brick affair with a garden bounded by a little picket fence. The scene would've been idyllic, were it not for their situation.

The dead quiet of 2am oppressed the house. Everyone was silent and sleeping, except for Brigitte, who was manning the control room in the top floor. Angela was glad the rookie was the one on watch right now. She didn't know how the systems worked yet, and Athena was more than happy to comply with Angela's request to keep her visit to the prison cells a secret.

So Angela crept into the prison area in the basement of the house. There were three cells all next to each other, each with their own toilet, bed, and a distinct lack of windows. Each was barred shut by an electrophysical wall that crackled silently with blue energy. Another one of Winston's designs. One could see, communicate, and even pass through the barrier - but only if they were authorised. A prisoner like Widowmaker would simply be zapped and thrown backwards. The assassin had found that out the hard way when she first arrived.

Once the security door slid shut behind her, Angela breathed a sigh of relief. She had made it in without Ana knowing. Of course the captain would be furious when morning came around. Angela had no clearance to interrogate the prisoner without the captain. Further, Ana had explicitly ordered Angela not to speak to Widowmaker. She had a personal stake in this. She had a weakness that Widowmaker could exploit and undermine the whole process.

But Angela wouldn't be going in unprepared. In her Valkyrie flight suit and armed with her staff and blaster, she would be more than capable of handling anything Widowmaker threw at her. It was flagrantly against protocol to do what Angela was about to do, never mind that she was disobeying Ana's orders to stay away from the assassin, but…

Who was counting? They were all outlaws anyway, decreed by the United Nations no less. This was anyone's game now.

And Angela would make it hers.

Angela, the angel of mercy, stood before Widowmaker, glaring hard. Widowmaker sat on the floor of the cell, back against the wall, eyes closed and breathing deeply. All her limbs were cuffed and chained to the wall. Angela tapped her staff on the ground. Widowmaker opened her eyes, otherwise unmoving.

"Ahh, Dr Ziegler. How is Genji these days?" said Widowmaker in a soft, silken purr.

Angela frowned. "I wouldn't know. You saw him last. Maybe _you_ should tell _me_."

Widowmaker chuckled, looking away coyly. "Oh, you wouldn't, cherie. You're too precious for that."

Angela strode into the cell and jabbed her staff into Widowmaker's neck, pressing her against the wall. Widowmaker's eyes went wide.

Angela snarled down at the assassin. "Tell me. Tell me _now_."

Widowmaker's breathing wheezed against the pressure on her windpipe. Still, she grinned. "He's not doing too well," she rasped.

"So he's alive, then. Where is he?"

Widowmaker remained silent, smirking at Angela. Angela's blood boiled. With a flare of rage, she drew back her staff and slammed it against Widowmaker's face, marring it with blood and bruising.

But Widowmaker merely chuckled. "You think pain will make me talk?" she said. "You do not know pain like I do, cherie. You'll have to do something even _I_ can't imagine."

Angela narrowed her eyes. "Is that so?" Her voice was calm. Oddly level, given the flaring of her nostrils and the wild fury burning in her heart. "You aren't afraid of me I take it."

"Correct."

"Do you know who I am?"

"Of course I do. You're Dr Angela Ziegler, aka Mercy. You got your MD at age 17, and your PhD at age 20. Your prodigal intellect caught Overwatch's eye. You were reluctant at first, but you came into their fold as the head of their medical division."

Angela nodded. "Correct so far, but I would have thought Talon's top assassin would know more."

"Hmm? Of course I know more. I know you possess knowledge and technology that countries all over the world would kill for. That _Talon_ would kill for."

"Yes. I can heal things modern medicine can only dream of. But I can do more than that."

Widowmaker raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Do tell, cherie."

Angela smiled a cold smile, her blue eyes frosty. "I can control life and death itself."

Widowmaker snorted, then burst out laughing. "So can I! I kill people for a living. With the twitch of a finger I decide who lives and dies."

Malice bled into Angela's smile. "Oh no," she growled. "Not like I can."

She raised her blaster to Widowmaker's forehead. The assassin's eyes widened. "You won't."

"You have taken someone I love. Nothing is going to stop me from taking him back."

Then Angela fired.

The golden blast knocked Widowmaker's head against the cell wall. Blood erupted from her forehead. It sprayed on Angela's Valkyrie flight suit and dribbled down Widowmaker's face. The assassin's face was still plastered with surprise, her eyes vacant and empty.

Angela struggled to control her breathing. Her chest was heaving. What had she just done? What would Genji think of her if he knew?

She shook her head and squared her shoulders. It would never matter if she didn't get him back. She had to do whatever it took. Angela levelled her staff at Widowmaker's face and activated it. Golden light emitted from its end and suffused Widowmaker's head. It healed the wound, and with a sudden jolt Widowmaker jerked back to life, gasping for air.

"What…what just happened?" Widowmaker demanded, eyes wild. "What did you do?"

"I killed you, and then un-killed you." Angela knelt before Widowmaker so that their eyes were level. "Do you understand now? There will be no escape, no end to your pain. You don't even get to die unless I permit it. I can hurt you however I want, inflict as much excruciating, mutilating agony as I want, and there is nothing you can do. You are mine now. Forever."

Angela unstrapped a pouch from her belt and lay it open on the ground. In it were dissection tools. Scalpel blades, forceps, dissecting scissors, a bonesaw - everything she would need.

"I'm curious to see how Talon has enhanced you. Let's find out together." Angela unwrapped one of the scalpel blades and attached it to the handle. "First, I'm going to see what they did to your heart." She placed the tip of the scalpel against Widowmaker's skin.

The assassin glared back at Angela, her gold eyes hard. "Do it," she spat.

"But of course," Angela said brightly. She made her first incision and yanked the skin open roughly, revealing Widowmaker's sternum.

Widowmaker hissed, and then let out an involuntary grunt of pain. Her teeth were clenched, and she was sweating. But she still glared at Angela.

Angela grinned. "It's time for the bone-saw! Let's see what's beneath that ribcage."

The door to the basement burst open. Angela jumped and sprung to her feet, dropping the bone-saw. It was Ana, and she looked _furious_. She strode into the cell and dragged Angela out by the arm.

"What is this? What are you doing?" she hissed at Angela.

"I-I-I was just…we need intel, and I-I- "

"And you thought it appropriate to disobey a _direct order_ to stay away from the assassin? You are too close to this!"

"I-I'm sorry, Ana."

Ana released Angela's arm. "Salute your Captain."

Angela stood at attention and snapped a salute. "Y-Yes, Captain. I'm sorry, Captain."

"I do not tolerate insubordination, and your methods are barbaric. I am thoroughly disappointed in you, Ziegler. _Genji_ would be thoroughly disappointed. Now get out. We will talk about this later."

"Yes, Captain." Angela turned heel and hurried out of the basement, her face bright red.


	11. Chapter 11

In the end it was Ana who successfully extracted the information from Widowmaker. Genji was being held in the ruins of Overwatch's Swiss headquarters in Zurich, which now served as Talon's base of operations. Angela wanted to rush right in and save him, but Ana insisted on a solid week's worth of scouting, both day and night, to gather intel. This scouting was primarily performed by Lena and Jesse, and the information they ended up gathering included the general layout of the base, who went where (roughly), and the most likely locations in which Genji might be held. Each time they were done, the reported back to Ana in their little shuttle parked out of range of the headquarters' scanners.

It was a week of tense nail-biting for Angela, but when Ana finally stood up and declared they were ready, Angela leapt to her flight suit. And she wasn't the only one. Jesse raced to his revolver. Lena strapped her dual pistols on. Reinhardt and Brigitte began strapping their armour on.

Ana waved her hands at them, wearing an amused expression. "Woah, woah, woah, everyone. What do you think you're doing? We need a plan of attack."

At that, everyone froze, staring at her. They were all eager to rescue a member of their Overwatch family, but Ana was right. With multiple heavy sighs, everyone sat back down in their seats and looked expectantly at their captain.

"Alright, first things first. Brigitte, make everyone a cup of tea," said Ana.

Brigitte spluttered. "Why do _I_ have to do it?"

"Because you're the rookie," Ana grinned.

"Don't sweat it, kid," said Jesse. "She made me do it too back in the day." He pulled a cigar from one of his pockets and put it in his mouth. Angela reached over and slapped it from his mouth. Jesse glared at her.

 _It's bad for you_ , Angela mouthed.

Brigitte avoided eye contact with Jesse and fiddled with one of her bangs. "Well, it's not _that_ big of a deal. I can do it." She stood and went to the kitchenette.

"Now, down to business." Ana clasped her hands behind her back. "Thanks to Lena and Jesse, we have confirmed they have ample personnel. Certainly enough to bar access to Genji if we are discovered. So instead of a simple incursion, I propose this." She nodded at Winston, who opened his laptop and activated a holographic model of the old Swiss headquarters. "Ordinarily one stealth team would be enough. Get in, grab our score, and get out. However, this is Reyes we're talking about. During the Omnic Crisis he was the leader of Overwatch. So I say we dangle bait he can't resist, while a second team goes in under his nose while he's distracted. The bait will be Angela, Reinhardt, and myself. We will go to the central control room and appear to be trying to retrieve Genji's location from it. Meanwhile, Lena, Jesse, and Brigitte will retrieve Genji. We will go in simultaneously, and we must maintain radio contact at all times so that we can exit simultaneously as well. Are there any questions?"

Everyone shook their heads, all of them solemn. They had no idea if they could do this. Reyes had been their commander in the Omnic Crisis. Everything had been chaos back then, and Reyes had pulled them all together to victory. How could they beat a man like that?

Angela gripped her staff and swallowed as Brigitte handed her a cup of tea. She gave a brief smile to the young woman before she lost herself in her thoughts again. Genji was so close. They had to succeed. She closed her eyes and thought of him. His laughter. Jostling playfully with Jesse. The warmth of his touch on her skin. It would all be back soon. Angela would make sure of it.

Later, the shuttle, containing Angela, Ana, Reinhardt, Jesse, Brigitte, and Lena alit on the roof of the Zurich headquarters. Winston and Athena had already taken care of the base's peripheral detection systems. Jesse marveled at the monkey. He didn't know how half of those sorts of things worked. The shuttle doors closed. Winston flew off to park out of distance.

The wind and snow swirled around him, rustling his red cardigan and freezing the end of his cigar cold. He dropped the cigar, watching absently as its smoking tip sizzled into the snow.

"Alright, everyone. It's game time," said Ana. "Lead them well, Jesse."

Jesse winked and saluted. "I always do, Captain. Go make some noise."

Ana laughed. "I always do." She knelt and swept away the snow that covered a hatch on the rooftop. Then she placed one of Winston's gadgets on it. It latched on with a magnetic buzz, and the hatch popped free of its hinges. Ana unholstered her pistol and slipped right in with agility betraying none of her sixty years. Angela slid in after her, her Valkyrie suit's wings guiding her down. Reinhardt attempted to follow suit, but clanged his armour loudly against the hatch's rim.

Reinhardt winced. "Sorry, everyone," he whispered hoarsely.

"Just keep going," Jesse growled.

After Ana's team was in, Jesse went in. He landed lightly on the metallic floor of a maintenance hallway. It was dark and empty, looking like it hadn't been used in years. He caught the last glimpse of an angel wing disappearing around the corner. Ana's was already on the move. He should too.

Jesse looked back at the hatch. Lena had slid in without a problem, but Brigitte was slowly clucking her way down the ladder with Lena as her spotter.

"You can do it love, you're almost there," Lena whispered.

"Hurry _up_ ," Jesse hissed.

"I'm sorry," Brigitte said as she reached the floor.

Lena swatted Jesse's arm. "Leave her alone, mate."

"Let's just get moving," Jesse said. "We need to get to Genji before Ana hits the control room. Let's go." He led them down the corridor, around the corner, and to a door to a set of stairs. The access port was already fried, courtesy of Ana. Jesse pushed the door open and jogged down the stairs, with Lena and Brigitte in tow. Lena he was glad to have at his back, but why Brigitte? She was new. She didn't know how the team worked. And with all that armour, she was a liability from a stealth standpoint. Why did Ana let her come along?

Jesse sighed. Captain's orders. There wasn't much to be done about it.

As they ran down the stairs, the door of the fourth floor opened up, and three Talon soldiers entered, deep in conversation with each other. They had time to register that they weren't alone in the stairwell. But they didn't have time to see who, let alone reach for their weapons. Jesse McCree had already loosed three silenced rounds from his revolver, one for each man's forehead.

Brigitte gasped.

"Just keep moving, love," Lena said.

And move they did.

They were on level two when Ana radioed Jesse. _"We're in position. Give the signal when ready."_

"Copy that, Captain," replied Jesse. Over his shoulder, he said to Lena and Brigitte, "Ready your weapons. Kill quickly and quietly. And," he glared at Brigitte, "no quarter. We ain't play-acting knights here."

Brigitte huffed. "I've been in fights _before_ , I _know_ how to- "

Lena shushed her, looking apologetic. "Don't talk back mid-operation, love."

Chastised, Brigitte unholstered her flail and followed Lena and Jesse.

They were on the basement level now. The exit of the stairwell had another security pad. According to the plans, there was an atrium of sorts just outside. From there, there were doors leading to the prison and the storage. There would be several guards, and he didn't know how many. What should they do? Jesse stroked his beard as he thought.

Jesse was confident he could kill anywhere from four to six of them from the beginning. Then there was Lena. She would really drive things here. Jesse would catch them off guard. Lena would use that opportunity to flank and eliminate the others. Brigitte would mop up whoever they missed.

He filled Lena and Brigitte in on the plan.

"Remember," he said to Brigitte. "I need you to rush in _hard_ , and keep your eyes open for who's standing. You'll be the one who stops Lena from being shot in the back."

Brigitte nodded, her eyes serious.

Jesse took a deep breath to steady himself. It was time to call in with Ana. "We're ready, Captain. On your mark."

 _"You're clear to engage,"_ Ana's voice crackled through.

Jesse nodded over his shoulder to Lena and Brigitte, then burst through the door.

Immediately, every head in the room turned to look at him. There were about ten in the room, and possibly more in the corridors leading away. Jesse whipped his pistol out and shot down four of them before they could even move.

Lena blinked past him and around the perimeter. She shot down another three as they tried to shoot her with a perplexed hail of bullets.

Now there were only three left in the room, with the sounds of impending reinforcements echoing down the corridors. Two of them were panicking, also trying to shoot Lena. The other one had his rifle levelled right at Jesse. He fired.

It was a direct hit - right on Brigitte's shield. She charged in and thunked the guard's head with the flail, sending him straight to the ground, motionless.

Meanwhile, Lena shot down the remaining two guards. The atrium was now empty of enemies.

The guards Jesse had expected from the corridors did not enter.

"Why aren't the others coming?" Brigitte asked.

Jesse grinned. "The Captain's doing her job. Let's go."

According to the schematics, Genji should be down the second corridor from the right. Jesse lead the way, racing past the doors until he arrived at the right one. It was further down - one of the specialised containment chambers. He fiddled with the lock and the keypad.

"Ugh, they've changed the system!" he spat.

Brigitte shoved Jesse aside. "I'll handle this." She bashed the door with her shield once, twice, thrice, and on the fourth time, the door buckled.

Lena chuckled. "Nice!"

Jesse was smiling too. "Nice work, kid. Now we just gotta find the weak points…" He felt around the door, knocking a couple times until he was satisfied.

"Alright, I need you to kick right here," he said to Brigitte, pointing at the weak spot.

Brigitte was more than happy to comply, and the door burst out of its frame and into the room.

Jesse pushed past the others and into the room. There he was. Genji, strapped to the interrogation table. Dried blood decorated the table and floor. Empty needles and syringes lay on a tray beside the table. And on the table itself - Genji. No armour. No clothes. Just his scarred and maimed body with the cybernetics that augmented him.

Brigitte immediately turned around. "He's naked!"

"C'mon, ain't you seen a penis before? Let's grab him!" growled Jesse.

"Well, yes, but it's _Genji_ , it's _different_ \- oh, never mind." Brigitte sighed and helped Jesse release Genji from the table.

"The Captain must be doing a good job up there!" Lena said from the doorway. "Not a peep from any more guards - and this is the _prison_ block!"

With Genji slung over Jesse's shoulders, they climbed back up the stairwell towards their entry point - until Ana's voice crackled over Jesse's comms again.

 _"Change of plan - head to the hanger! Winston will be waiting there."_

"To the hanger!" said Jesse.

"Wait, what? Why?" said Lena.

"I don't know, but let's move it!"

They exited the stairwell on the hanger level. Guard presence was heavier here. Brigitte covered Jesse and Genji as Lena made short work of the guards around them, and within minutes, they were back on the shuttle.

"Glad to see you're okay, everyone!" Winston called from the cockpit. "Do you have him?"

"Safe and sound," said Jesse, an unconscious, naked Genji strapped in beside him.

Lena punched Jesse's shoulder. "Aww, look at you! It's so cute how happy you are to have your boyfriend back!"

Jesse shrugged. "What can I say - bromance is bromance."

Suddenly, a loud crash sounded from the back of the hanger. Jesse turned to look.

Reinhardt burst through the wall, sending chunks of metal and concrete flying everywhere. Guards fled for their lives from the chaos. And then from the back, the hanger began to collapse. Jesse caught a glimpse of blue diving out from the chaos and latching onto Reinhardt for dear life. Ana. Jesse shook his head. That woman was something else.

Winston drew the shuttle closer to the hanger again and lowered the shields in time for Reinhardt to come crashing into the passenger area. Jesse flinched and covered his face from the mini-hail of debris that came flying with the large man.

"Are we ready?" called Winston.

"Let's go!" yelled Reinhardt.

Winston promptly shut the door, raised the shields, and pushed the shuttle to its limits as they rocketed away from their home from times gone by.


	12. Chapter 12

Angela woke, surrounded by rubble and dead men. The pounding headache threatened to wipe her mind clear of thoughts, but she forced herself to focus. She pushed herself up into sitting position and quickly scanned her surroundings.

The entrance to the hanger was caved in. Reinhardt's hammer had struck with enough force to destabilise the surrounding structures within the building. Several Talon soldiers were crushed beneath the rubble. A few more were stirring from unconsciousness just like she was. But there was no sign of Gabriel Reyes. A sigh of relief.

It was then that Angela noticed she had sustained losses herself. She felt a trail of sticky liquid on the side of her head. Blood. From where she had been concussed. But the worst loss by far was her wings and staff. They had been smashed by the falling debris. Now she only had her pistol.

One of the Talon soldiers spotted Angela and fumbled for his rifle. Still dizzy, Angela drew her pistol from its holster and shot at him.

The first shot missed. The second shot hit his shoulder. The soldier cried out.

Angela groaned as she forced herself to her feet. The soldier slowly lifted his rifle again, but Angela was faster. Her third shot hit him right in the face.

By this point more soldiers were stirring too. Angela was in no mood to fight. She wasn't even sure she could win.

So she turned and ran into the depths of Talon's base.

Later, back at Overwatch's Paris safe house, Genji prowled the living room like a caged animal.

"What do you mean she was left behind? Let's go back!" he yelled.

Jesse flinched. "Woah there, buddy, let's lower the voice. Of course we're going to go back, but we can't go back without a plan. We spent more than a week planning your bust-out."

Genji sighed and ruffled a hand through his already-dishevelled hair. "Still, I hate sitting here and doing nothing."

Jesse shrugged. "I don't blame you, buddy, but if we're going to win, we've got to do this right."

Genji seemed to deflate then. He plopped himself down on one of the couches. As much as he hated it, Jesse was right. There was no doubt in his mind that Angela had wanted to rescue him just as badly. But she, too, had to wait. Had to be patient. Had to sit down, make a plan, and do it properly.

Genji began one of the breathing exercises his mentor, Zenyatta, had taught him. He let everything melt away until there was nothing except stillness in the movement around him. The stillness in the rain pattering the windows. The kettle coming to boil in the kitchen. The cool air resting gently on his skin.

Despite the movement, everything was still, and clear in his mind.

He was going to recover. Then they were going to make a plan. Because by the strength of his blade, Dr Angela Ziegler _would_ be free again.

 **A/N: So ends Act II of this story. This is how our heroes stand as we move into the final Act. Thank you everyone who has supported this story. It is _going_ to be finished. I want to finish it. I know how it is going to end. All it will take is time to write it. Thank you again!**


End file.
